Improvement in corn-planters



1 UNITED STATES "-ALONZO STREETEB, OF ADRIAN, ASSIGNOR TQ HIMSELF, ANDTHOMAS FARRAR AND AMZ[ CHASE, OF WELLSVILLE, MICHIGAN.

IMPROVEMENT IN CORN-PLANTERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No- 35,2S0, ,dated May 13,1862.

To allwhom it may concern Be it known that I, ALoNZo STREETER, of thecity of Adrian, county of Lenawee, and State of Michigan, have inventeda new and useful Improvement in Corn-Planters; and I do hereby declarethat the following is a full and exact description thereof, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of referencemarked thereon.

The natureof my invention consists in the arrangement of certain partsof mechanism,

D removed therefrom, showing the parts that;

cannot be 'seen in Fig. lviz., main shaft 0, rope V, sheave W, cams seenat the numerals 1, elbow-levers 2, levers 5, connections 6, pivots 7,pivot 10, dotted lines 9, dotted lines 45, and pivot 31. i p i i Fig. 3shows'one of the hoppers D removed from the machine,with its side openfor the purpose of showing-its internal parts, which I will describe asfollows: its partition- 12, spiral spring 13,its case 14, plunger l5,its lug 16, lug 27, cover 30, blocks 29, spout 25, valveseat 24, valve20, brush 40, and cap 39. i

Fig. 4 shows the partition 12 removed from the hopper D, exhibitingitsvalve-seat 24, brush 40, spout 25, slot 26, cap'39, and blocks 29.

Fig. 5 exhibits the reversed side of partition 12, showing the lower endof spout 25 and slot 26. 1

i Fig. 6 shows the partition 12, with the valve- 20attached theretocovering the slot26, through which the valve-stem 21 passes, exhibitingalso the block 29, spout 25, valve-seat 24, brush 40, cap 39, and themetallic case 14, that covers the spiral spring 13. i

Fig. 11 shows an edge view of the plunger 15, with its lugl6,spiralspring13, and lug 27,

that attaches the spiral spring thereto.

Fig. 12 shows the side of the hopper D to which the spout E is attached,exhibiting the slot 17, through which the lug 16 plays.

Fig. 13sl1ows the plunger 15 removed from the spout E, exhibiting itsangling slot 19, through which the valve-stem 2L plays.

Fig. 14 exhibits the lug 27 removed from the plunger 15, showing thehole in which the rod is fastened that attaches the spiral springthereto. p

Fig. 7 shows the valve 20 removed from the hopper, exhibiting its slide22, set-screw 23, stem 21, and throat 37.

. Fig. 8 shows the other side of the valve, with its throat 37 enlargedby means of set-screw 23.

Fig. 9 shows the lever 5 removed from the machine, exhibiting the mannerin which the elbow-lever 2 is attached thereto.

Fig. 10 shows the cam 1, elbow-levers 2, and

lug l6 removed from their respective places for the purposeof-showingthe mannerin which the elbow-levers 2 act on the lug 19 bymeans i of the cam l.

. Fig. 16 shows the valve-seat 24 with the valve-seat laid off,exhibiting its throat 38, cap 39, and brush 40.

Fig. 15 shows the valveseat 24 and valve 20, with the valve thrown back,the throat. 37 being out from under the brush ready to receive the cornfrom the hopper D.

Fig. 17 shows the valve-seat 24 and valve 20, with the valve thrownunder the brush in the position that the valve is in when its throat 37is over the throat 38 in the valve-seat 24.

Fig. 18 shows an end view of the hopper D, exhibiting its plunger 15,partition 12, blocks 29, valve 20, slide 22, throat 37, cap 39, brush40, set-screw 23, and spiral spring 13 in their proper places.

Fig. 19 shows an end view of the hopper D, described in Fig. 18, withall its internal parts removed.

The hoppers D are four in number. All of them are constructed alike,after the manner above described, and they are attached to wheels B atthe numerals 41, with their spouts E extending through the slot in therims of the wheels at 42, as is clearly seen in Fig. 1, when the hoppersD are all adjusted'ready for planting. The valve-stem 21 in Fig. 3passes through the slot 28 in the partition 12 and into being turnedaround, and toenable the operator to have the spouts E strike the groundat any place he may desire. The object of the slide P and guides S is toenable the operator to drive the machine so that it may plant the rowsof corn atequal distances apart. The object of the cutters R and shoesQ, is to cut the sod and remove obstructions in advance of the wheels Bas the machine'is' being drawn along.

When the operator wishes to draw the ma chine along without having itplant he throws the levers into the position shown by the dotted lines45 by means of lever L and connections 6, which allows the wheels B torevolve without having the lugs 16 strike the levers 2. Said connectionsare attached to lever L at equal distances from the pivot 7, on which itoscillates, so that one motion of the lever throws both levers 5 in orout, as the case may be.

I will describe the operation of my machine as follows: After theoperator has filled the hoppers with corn he adjusts the throats 37 bymeans of set-screws 23'. He then draws the machine to the place where heintends to commence planting; then throws the lever M forward,and as itoscillates on its pivots it removes the brake N from the wheelsB bymeans of the connections I then raises the lever Guntilitcatchesin thenotch in the top of the post K. That in turn allows the shoes Q andrevolving cutters R to be pressed down on the ground by means of theirconnectionsOand spiral springs 4. He then throws the top of lever L tothe right, that in turn throws levers 5 and 2 from the position of thedotted lines 45 by means of connections 6 to the proper place to havethe lugs 16 and cam l strike the levers 2 as the wheels B revolve. Thenas the machine is drawn along the cutters 1% split the sod or lumps, andthe shoes Q follow and clear any obstructions in advance of the wheelsB. As

the wheels B revolve they give simultaneous movement to shaft 0, cam 1,and hoppers D. Then as the wheels revolve the lugs 16 strike theelb0w-levers-2, as seen in Fig. 10, the other end of lever 2, beingstruck simultaneously with cam 1, raises the plunger in the spouts E bymeans oflug 16, that in turn throws the valve from under the brush, asseen in Fig. 17, to the position seen in Fig. 15 by means of its stem 21playing in the angular slot 19 in said plunger, said slot being seen inFig. 13.

Then when the wheels B have revolved to the right position to have thespouts E forced in the ground by the weight of the machine the hoppersthen stand in a vertical position, and the plungers are raised so thattheir lower ends are above the juncture of the spouts E and 25. Then aslugs 16 pass by the end of the lever2 the combined force of gravitationand spiral spring 13 forces the plunger to the lower end of spout E.While the plunger is on its downward passage the slot 19 throws valve 20to the position seen in Fig. 17 by means of its stem 21, which bringsthe throat 37, after having been filled with corn from the hopper, underthe brush 40 and over the throat'38 in the valve-seat 24. The corn thenis free to fall from thence into the spout and enter spout E in advanceof the plunger, and is driven into the ground by the force of theplunger as it strikes the ground. After the machine has been drawnacross the field and the operator wishes to turn around preparatory toplan ting another row he presses lever Gr down until it catches in thelower notch in post K, that in turn raises the cutters R, shoes Q, andconnections 0 by means of the connections I, which play in the slots inthe ends of levers G. He then locks the wheels, as above described, andturns the machine around. He then turns the crank U, that in turn movesthe slide P and guides S to the right or left, as the case may require,by means of the Windlass T, rope V, and sheave W, when the guide S isthrown to one side, as seen in Fig. 1. The guide that is on the end ofthe slide being out hangs over the track previously made by the Wheel,by which means the operator drives the machine so that the rows of cornare all at equal distances apart.

After thus describing my machine and invention, what I claim, and desireto secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination and arrangementof hoppers D and wheels B, as abovedescribed, for the purposes described and set forth.

2. The combination of the post K, lever G, shaft H, connection I,spiralsprings 4,connection 0, shoes Q, and cutters R, for the purposes setforth and described.

3. The combination of the levers 5 with the elbow-levers 2, for thepurposes above described.

4. The crank U, Windlass T, rope V, and sheave W, in ,combination withslide P and guides S, for the purposes set forth and described.

ALONZO STREETER. [L. s.]

In presence of- R. B. ROBBINS, GEO. H. GRANT.

